Berman and Protass: A Saner Approach to Sentencing

'Mandatory minimum' laws need an overhaul. Congress is ready. Will the president make good on his promises?

By

Douglas A. Berman

And Harlan Protass

May 7, 2013 8:20 p.m. ET

There are few topics on which leading Democratic and Republican voices agree these days. But the recently introduced Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013—which would authorize federal judges to impose prison terms below statutory mandatory minimums in some cases—represents a new bipartisan effort at addressing America's overcrowded prisons and bloated budget. Passage of the act, though, will depend on President Obama and his Justice Department getting behind it.